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HARPY (18) Built in 1796, Dover.
Sold in 1817.

  • Armed with eighteen 32-pounder carronades.
  • 1797 Henry BAZELY, 05/1796, Channel.
    In May 1797 HARPY compelled a French brig with eighteen 9-pounder and a 14-gun lugger to run aground near Dieppe. He also damaged a number buildings in the town including the Custom House.
    Later she captured two privateers, one armed with four guns, the other with swivels, she also recaptured two British coasters.
  • 1800 Ditto, Jersey.
    On 5 February 1800 HARPY and FAIRY (16), sailed from St. Aubin's Bay in search of a French frigate.
    Some 6 miles off Cape Frehel they encountered the PALLAS (38) sailing inshore. They drew her off the land and after an hour and a half commenced action when the HARPY passing across the bows of the PALLAS raked her with a broadside. After two hours LA PALLAS made sail to escape but found that she was heading towards three British ships, LOIRE (38) DANAE (20) and RAILLEUR (16). Escape proved impossible and after a long exchange of fire with the British ships PALLAS surrendered to HARPY. HARPY had only 1 man killed and 3 wounded.
    The naval medal was issued in 1849 for this action to the survivors of HARPY and FAIRY only.
    The two sloops returned to Plymouth on 9 February to repair their damage.
    LA PALLAS was taken into Falmouth by LOIRE and RAILLEUR. Because she was much disabled, with her main top-mast over the side, rigging gone and her sails cut to ribbons, a trawler, Harper, master, put a pilot on board her 6 miles off the Eddystone. LA PALLAS, a new vessel of 1030bm and armed with thirty-eight 18pdr guns, was on her first cruise to Brest, with orders to sail from there to Mauritius. She was taken into the Royal Navy as PIQUE.
  • Capt. BAZELY was promoted to Post Captain April 1800 and Capt. William BIRCHALL of the HEBE troopship was appointed to HARPY in his stead. He spent the year in and out of Portsmouth every few weeks cruising in the Channel.
    On 10 December a huge fleet of vessels, nearly 550 sail, passed down down the Channel. They were bound for Oporto, Lisbon, the West Indies and the Straits convoyed by SEAHORSE, MAIDSTONE, ALLIANCE, CHICHESTER, SERAPIS, PIQUE, DROMEDARY and HARPY. They were taken aback by a dead calm off the Eddystone and the whole fleet drifted in the fog until it cleared at noon.
  • HARPY attempted to sail from Plymouth on 12 February 1801. She beat up as far as Start Point but was forced to run back to the shelter of the Sound by a gale from the E. N.E. When the storm abated she sailed for Portsmouth arriving on the 21st.
  • On 2 March Lord NELSON in the ST. GEORGE left Portsmouth with other ships of the line, frigates, fireships, bombs and gunvessels and sailed to the eastward. A second squadron including HARPY followed the next day. They were destined to take part in the attack on the Danish fleet at Copenhagen on 2 April.
  • 1802 Charles William BOYS, who lost a leg on the Glorious 1 June 1794 and was to die while commanding STATIRA on the Halifax station on 17 November 1809.
  • 1803 Charles PELLY, Leith.
  • 1804 Edmund HEYWOOD, Channel.
    On 12 January he sent into the Downs the French gunboat PENRICHE (2), and two of the transports that she had been escorting from Calais to Boulogne.
    On 26 August a small squadron consisting of the frigate IMMORTALITE, HARPY, ADDER (12) the cutter CONSTITUTION, attacked a French flotilla of 60 brigs and 30 luggers off Cap Gris Nez within range of shore batteries. Several of the enemy gun vessels ran ashore and the rest made for Boulogne. Unfortunately CONSTITUTION was sunk by a shell.
  • On 23 March 1804 HARPY arrived in the Downs with AUTUMN and BONETTA having been blown from her cruising station off Boulogne by strong south-west gales. She was able to return two days later.
    On 30 April she sailed for Sheerness.
    HARPY and ALONZO arrived in the Downs on 12 August but when HARPY tried to sail on the 15th. she was driven back again by strong S. W. winds.
    It was the 19th. before she and BONETTA could return to the French coast.
  • 1805 Newfoundland.
  • 1808 Out of commission at Portsmouth.
  • 1809 George W. BLAMEY.
    He was promoted to post captain on 21/10/10, the fifth anniversary of Trafalgar.
    HARPY, with other sloops and brigs under Sir Home POPHAM, sounded and buoyed the waters of the West Scheldt to enable the larger ships to advance during the expedition to Walcheren.
  • 1811 Edward Henry A'COURT, to the Cape of Good Hope.
  • Henderson BAIN was promoted into HARPY on 29 March 1811 on the Cape station.
    HARPY was at Mauritius when news arrived of the action off Tamatave in which two French frigates carrying troops were captured by ASTREA, PHOEBE and GALATEA; one other frigate, the CLORINDE, escaped home to France. Capt. BAIN communicated the news to FOX some 180 miles to the S. W. of Mauritius on 21 June and she brought the news back home to England in September.
    HARPY took part in the reduction of Java in 1811.
    BAIN was posted into LION on 6 April 1813.
  • 1814 T. G.HALTOEN, Cape of Good Hope.
  • 1815 Thomas ALLEN, Cape of Good Hope.
  • 1816 George TYLER, 07/2/1815, at the Cape.
    In 1816 he received a pension of 200 pounds p.a. for the loss of his arm in 1811.
  • 1817 Deptford.


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